Weak German data and LVMH results weigh on European shares

LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - Weak German economic data and a slump in the shares of luxury goods group LVMH weighed on European stock markets on Friday.

Germany's benchmark DAX equity index, which hit a record high of 10,050.98 points in late June, was down by 0.6 percent at 9,734.11 points going into the close of the trading day.

The DAX came under pressure after a survey by the respected Ifo think tank showed that German business sentiment fell to its lowest level in nine months in July.

"The Ifo number looked negative. I think the European stock markets will drift slightly lower," said Darren Courtney-Cook, head of trading at Central Markets Investment Management.

Courtney-Cook said he would be "short" on the DAX futures - namely betting on future falls - if the index stayed below 9,800 points. He expects European stock markets will edge lower over the coming month.

Loic Morvan, an analyst at investment bank Bryan Garnier, cut his rating on LVMH to "neutral" from "buy", adding that LVMH's business slowed significantly in the second quarter.

In Europe so far this quarter, 40 percent of companies have missed earnings expectations, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine data, underperforming the United States, where only 28 percent have lagged forecasts.

"Overall sentiment remains neutral, with investors continuing to prefer U.S. stocks to European ones due to the U.S. earnings season having delivered solid and mostly better-than-expected results so far," said Markus Huber, senior sales trader at Peregrine & Black.